Thursday, January 11

So here's something brave: a fine dining restaurant that's fully halal, down to the lack of alcohol being served - and not even having Coke on the menu due to some ethical concerns. I think any business person in the food industry would have signed the death warrant of such a place before it even opened... but it's something that will probably thrive in a city where enough Muslims have more money than sense, and care more about the social media implications of a meal than the food itself. I could turn this into a post about how Muslim businesses need to start doing more than just Islamifying what's already out there, but that's probably out of scope for this review. Either way the point probably stands that the existence of places like this is less about the businesses and more about us as a demographic.

The food was decent enough, the service less than I would have expected in a place like this. We were also disappointed when we were told the cod (the listing of which made 1/4 of the total number of mains on offer) ran out. The portions were small (as is expected in a place like this) and even though sometimes that doesn't matter (see: Ceviche) I did appreciate the extra pasta we ordered to share.

Surprisingly enough the bill wasn't too bad; £34 per head with starters and teas is nothing to complain too hard about. I can imagine the bill being even more acceptable with a more discerning customer.

I don't think this would be the last time I visit The Great Chase, and I'll even admit that I was seriously impressed by the lack of Coke on offer. Who knows, perhaps its places like these that will pave the way for more originality in the halal space? In either case I guess I shouldn't complain at having the option.